INFORMATION

Here you go, the information so many of you have been requesting, somewhat thought-provoking to say the least.

Try not to let it get you down. Instead, be empowered and make change happen!

Lack of Information and Chemical Research

Like most people I always assumed that if a product was on the market it must be safe. Debra Lynn Dadd

The European Union admitted that 99 per cent of the volume of chemicals on the market are inadequately regulated. World Wildlife Fund (WWF)

No toxic information is available on 80% of chemicals in every day use. Tests are only done on single chemicals, never any testing done on combinations which we are exposed to on a daily basis. National Research Council

Over the last 50 years man has created around 80,000 new chemicals. WWF

Over the last 30 years only 9 of 10,500 chemicals used in personal care products have been banned or restricted. EWG

A US house sub committee asked US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to analyse 2983 chemicals used in personal care products. 884 were found to be toxic. Of these 778 can cause acute toxicity, 146 cause tumours, 218 can cause reproductive complications, 314 can cause biological mutation and 376 can cause skin and eye irritations.

Report on chemicals in products.........concluded that there are grave problems with the control of chemicals that needs to be tackled immediately. The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (RCEP)

The current REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals) campaign is attempting to get 30,000 chemicals registered and tested over the next 11 years. There is currently much opposition to this campaign.


Chemicals and Us

Many artificial chemicals we use are having long lasting effects on our health and the health of the natural world. Greenpeace

People and wildlife across the globe ,even the unborn are contaminated with a cocktail of man-made chemicals which build up in the body and/or persist in the environment. Women's Institute

As much as 60% of any substance applied to the skin or scalp is absorbed into the body. These toxins go straight into the bloodstream and put tremendous strain on the kidneys and liver. House Of Strauss.

We all carry a body burden of hazardous chemicals - our bodies are polluted by chemicals we are exposed to every day from a whole host of products - and women and children are most vulnerable to many of their effects. Links between chemicals in products and rising rates of breast cancer, asthma and allergies, fertility problems and other health trends must now be taken seriously. Women's Environmental Network (WEN)

It is estimated that women absorb up to 2 kg of chemicals through toiletries and cosmetics alone every year.
House Of Strauss

Each day American women reach for shampoo and conditioner, deodorant, moisturiser, and dusting powder. We apply blusher, eye shadow, mascara and lipstick, then maybe dab on nail polish and perfume. We have just exposed ourselves to 200 different chemicals. Emily Yoffe, Author of 'Chemical good looks' 1997

The average adult uses 9 personal care products daily, that's exposing them to 126 chemicals every day. EWG

Many products contain hormone disrupting chemicals - just what teens don't need when their bodies are especially sensitive to minuscule hormone changes. EWG

Researchers said developing brains - defined as from foetus to adolescence - were much more susceptible to toxic chemicals than those of adults. The Lancet 2006

The womb should be the safest place on Earth. But today our bodies are contaminated with over 300 man made chemicals to which our great grandparents were never exposed. WWF

A recent case study found traces of over 300 man made chemicals, including residues from personal care products in human breast milk. House Of Strauss.

Babies are now born with man-made chemicals in their bodies, passed on from their mother. WWF.


Chemicals In The Home - Air Pollution and Disease

Indoor air pollution is one of the nation's most pressing personal health concerns. US Environmental Protection Agency report to Congress on indoor air. EWG

Hazardous chemical concentrations are 2-5 times higher inside our homes than outdoors, regardless of whether the homes were located in rural or highly industrial areas. House Of Strauss IAQ Publications

One American scientific study showed that indoor air was actually more polluted than the outdoor air in New York.

Of chemicals commonly found in the home, 150 have been linked to allergies, birth defects, cancer and psychological abnormalities. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Household sprays linked to one in seven cases of Asthma. Lewis Smith Environment reporter, The Times 2007

Although further research is needed, we do already know that air fresheners and bleach trigger symptoms in people who already have Asthma. Victoria King Asthma UK 2007

There are both acute and chronic effects on health caused by many household products. Chronic effects include cancer, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease.......acute conditions include headaches, nausea, triggering of asthma attacks, eye, nose, throat or skin irritation, dry skin and fatigue. Almost all household cleaners contain some toxic ingredients, and may contain carcinogens or suspected carcinogens. House Of Strauss

One third of all personal care products contain one or more ingredients classified as possible human carcinogens. EWG

A toxic environment may be dangerous for us adults, but is far, far worse for our children. There is abundant evidence that infants and children are far more susceptible to the negative influence of toxins. Canceractive

Indoor air pollution is a suspected culprit in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) which will claim about 5000 lives this year. House Of Strauss

Statistics show that women working at home have a 55 % increased risk of cancer over those who don't, due to daily exposure to hazardous chemicals found in ordinary household products. Canceractive/Nancy Sokol Green.


Chemicals and Cancer

Since the 1930's scientific research has consistently shown links between synthetic (man-made) chemicals, ill health and Cancer. WEN

Only 5 - 10% of breast cancers are linked to inherited genes, and up to 70% of Cancers have not been linked to the factors we are constantly told about. There is strong evidence that much of the pollution we are exposed to, and chemicals in products we use on a daily basis, are linked to breast cancer. The Government has yet to acknowledge this connection. WEN

Toxic chemicals in household cleaners are three times more likely to cause cancer than air pollution. Environmental Protection Agency.

The report 'Breast Cancer - An Environmental Disease: The Case For Primary Prevention', accuses the government and the Cancer establishment of being fixated with screening and treatment while prevention goes ignored, and demands an urgent shake-up of cancer policy. The UK Working Group on the Primary Prevention of Breast Cancer.

Almost 300 women in the UK die of Cancer every week, and at least 750 women hear they have it. A growing mountain of research points the finger at chemicals in the environment and in everyday products such as cosmetics and toiletries, plastics, household cleaners and furnishings. WEN

Man-made environmental pollutants are major causes (of BC) and Breast Cancer is preventable. WEN

Over the last 50 years man has created around 80,000 new chemicals. WWF

Since the 1950's prostrate cancer, myeloma and non Hodgkin's lymphoma have increased by 200%, testicular cancer has increased 110%, brain and nervous system cancers in adults by 80% and childhood cancers by 40%. House Of Strauss.


Chemicals In The Home - Poisoning

Accidental exposure to and consumption of household cleaning products will claim the lives of more than
40,000 children in America this year. Sally Bevan

45,000 accidents each year involving poisons and chemicals around the home. Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA)

According to the American Association of poison control centers, 53% of all poison exposures occur in children under 6. The most common forms of poison for that age group are cosmetics and personal care products 13.3%, cleaning substances 10.7%, pain killers 7.6% and poisonous plants 6.9% Sally Bevan

In 1997 National Safe Kids Campaign estimated that over 1.1 million American children under 5 were accidentally poisoned. Over half of these were as a result of children getting their hands on common household items; cleaning supplies and household pesticides. Sally Bevan

Chemicals and The Law

Like most people I always assumed that if a product was on the market it must be safe. Debra Lynn Dadd

Under current law, only 1% of the ingredients of a product have to be natural for the word natural to be used on the label, and this can include water/aqua. House Of Strauss.



Despite the obvious hazards, chemical manufacturing companies are not required to prove that their products are safe before they are used or sold. WWF.

Manufacturers are not required to reveal whether their products are carcinogenic (cancer forming), contain neurotoxins or harm the reproductive organs. House Of Strauss.

The current REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals) campaign is attempting to get 30,000 chemicals registered and tested over the next 11 years. There is currently much opposition to this campaign.

Over the last 50 years man has created around 80,000 new chemicals. WWF

Each year the US Environmental Protection Agency receives applications for 2000 new chemicals - or 6 a day! Jane Kay

Only 140 chemicals have been selected for risk assessment since 1993, even fewer have completed the process. BBC

Over the passed 30 years only 9 of 10,500 chemicals used in personal care products have been banned or restricted. EWG



And to conclude:

Chemicals that threaten human health and fertility do not belong in personal care and household products. WEN

Don't panic! - be empowered!                www.nomorebreastcancer.org.uk




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